


Another Time, Another Time

by tree_and_leaf



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Cricket, Crossover, Friendship, Gen, Literary Reference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-01
Updated: 2010-02-01
Packaged: 2017-10-06 22:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tree_and_leaf/pseuds/tree_and_leaf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>I saw Len Hutton in his prime/ Another time, another time</i>.  The Doctor takes the Brigadier on a short trip in the TARDIS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Time, Another Time

"The Varsity Match…?" said the Brigadier, gazing at the signboard outside Lords in surprise. "It's not that they're not a hotbed of talent, but I'd have thought with a time-machine, you could have found a more historically significant game. Headingley in '48. Manchester or the Oval 1902. The Bodyline series. Jardine. Bradman. Or WG Grace. Or even - well, I'd like to have been at Headingley in 1981, rather than out chasing Autons. Life is very unfair, at times."

"Oh my Hornby and my Barlow long ago…" said the Doctor, as if to himself. "WG Grace was unbearable, you know. And I can't say I approve of leg theory – mind you, I'm a bit sorry for Larwood. You can't tell people to succeed at any cost and then complain that they didn't do it _nicely_."

"How true," muttered the Brigadier. "Very well then: why this game?"

"To be perfectly honest, I was trying to get to the end of the 1912 Ashes series." His voice was almost convincingly airy, but the pale skin was slightly flushed.

"Doctor, that was in Melbourne. In January or February. This, I hardly need point out, is St John's Wood in June."

"Yes, I know," said the Doctor, looking slightly ruffled. "The TARDIS seems to be developing a strange obsession with London. But anyway, Australia's horrid in summer, and there's nothing decent to drink at this time of the century, and this is a rather good match. If a little melancholy, in a 'what might have been' sort of way."

"Yes." The Brigadier sighed. "In three years – You know, I'm not entirely sure I care for time travel."

"Watch out for the third man in for Oxford," the Doctor advised him. "Smallish, blond, very characteristic late cut. Should have played for England, but as it is, this is the last time he'll set foot on the wicket at Lords."

"Oh dear. Did the poor devil - ?"

The Doctor looked slightly surprised. "Oh no, nothing like that. He'll come through the war in one piece – more or less. But he took to solving crimes, and – well, I do sometimes wonder what would have happened if he _hadn't_ fallen off a wall in 1920…"

"And you've never felt tempted –"

"Of course not," said the Doctor, just a shade too quickly. "That would be completely irresponsible, and might cause a temporal paradox. It might even lead to a rupture in the fabric of space time…"

"I see. You _have._"

The Doctor ignored him. "It's only a game. A human game, at that, and it's not as if I really care whether England get whitewashed by Australia or not."

A passerby, who had heard the last part of the remark, tutted audibly. The Brigadier smiled. "Doctor, you can't fool me, you know. You may be an alien, but you went native a long time ago, at least as far as cricket goes."

"Nonsense. I have a firm sense of priority – goodness, is that the time? Come on, or we'll miss the toss…"

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a reference to a Harold Pinter poem; you will also note the quotation from Francis Thomson, "At Lords".
> 
> Obvious crossover sitting there in the background is obvious. If you know who went in third for Oxford, then you will enjoy [](http://nineveh-uk.livejournal.com/profile)[**nineveh_uk**](http://nineveh-uk.livejournal.com/)'s [excellent cricketing ficlet](http://nineveh-uk.livejournal.com/20613.html), which could be regarded as a sequel. Or possibly a prequel. It's all a bit wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, if you try to look at it like that.


End file.
